Winding Waltz
by Angevon
Summary: Yosuke goes on a first date with his girlfriend. Things go wrong. Or maybe right. [YosukeXFem!Protag]


[AN: Wrote this for the Persona 4 Kink Meme. The prompt was: _I just want a fem!protag or fem!Souji being cute with Yosuke. _

I didn't name the protagonist, but I think I wrote it pretty much like a Souji/Yosuke anyway...]

* * *

Yosuke arrived at home in a sheer panic, barely remembering to take off his shoes at the entryway. He raced to his room, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste, and threw his school bag to the middle of the floor with so little care that half the books fell out. He tore open the closet door and proceeded to stare blankly at his clothes.

What the hell should he wear?

"Sweetie, did you have a bad day?" his mom asked from the doorway to his room. She must have followed him from the living room. "You didn't even say hi to me."

Breathless, Yosuke shook his head.

"Well, we're having kakuni for dinner," she went on.

"Umm," he emitted while searching for his voice. "M-Mom, I'm... I'm not gonna be home for dinner."

"Oh, you and your school friends are hanging out again...?"

Yosuke stared down at the messy floor of his room, a blush creeping over his face.

His mom gasped and moved her hand over her heart. "It's a girl!"

"Moooom!" he wailed in protest, his hands making fists at his sides. She didn't have to make a big deal out of it!

A beat passed. "...It is a girl, right?"

"Y-yeah," he said. "I asked her out... I don't even know how... And she said yes, and..." He looked up at her now. "Mom, I've never been on a date before!"

"You should bring her flowers!" she suggested.

"On a first date...?" That sounded way too forward. He didn't think the girl in question would even like that.

"All girls like flowers," his mom claimed. "You don't have to go all out. Just a sunflower, or an assorted bouquet. You know you can get them at Junes."

"I know... I still don't think..." He shook his head, flustered. "She's special, Mom. I can't mess this up."

"Did you just say 'she's special'?" His mom proceeded to 'aww' and gush at him most embarrassingly.

But it was true. She wasn't just any girl. She was the Investigation Team's leader and his best friend. After all they'd been through together, he couldn't disappoint her.

* * *

His mother's fussing almost made him late to pick up his date. It was hard to maintain a natural pace and not rush to her house, but Yosuke couldn't arrive out of breath, though that was liable to happen anyway just from nerves. It was like his childhood asthma was trying to make a comeback. Just be yourself, he told himself. That's what she likes about you, right?

He eventually arrived at the Dojima residence, where he stared at the door for a very long moment, wondering what kind of knock he should use. If he rapped too hard it'd be like he was making a demand, too weak and she wouldn't hear it... Maybe he could try to make a pattern?

Then he realized he was just being an idiot and rang the doorbell.

The door opened just a short time later, revealing his date. She was dressed in clothes he'd never seen on her before: a green marble-patterned one-piece dress that went down to her knees. Her long dark hair, normally tied back so as not to be in her way—vital when they were fighting Shadows—was wavy and loose about her shoulders. She wore a simple silver necklace and a matching bracelet on her left wrist.

"Yosuke-kun," she said upon seeing him, the corners of her lips curling up in a shy smile.

"H...hi," he said, equally shy all of a sudden. She was so dressed up!

There was silence for a beat, and then she asked, "What happened to your hair?"

"Ah?" He patted his brown hair absently. "My mom kind of ruined it."

His mom had forced him into a button-down shirt and the nicest pair of pants he owned, a pair that he hadn't worn since the Hanamura family reunion last year that were just a little too tight for him now. In the process of getting him ready, she'd also refused to let him go out with his hair styled the way he normally kept it. 'If your hair is different, she'll notice that you made an effort to look nice,' she'd said. If his mom had her way, he wouldn't go out with dyed hair, either, but thankfully that couldn't be changed. Now his hair was smooth and flat and parted to the left and definitely not him at all.

"It doesn't look right," she mused. "Your mom helped you get ready?"

"N-no," he lied, but the embarrassment on his face betrayed him, and they both laughed.

"Nanako wanted to help me," she confided. "I almost went out with glittery lip gloss."

"Yeah?" he hazarded, trying not to imagine that. "Where is Nanako-chan?"

Instead of answering, she stepped closer to him. In one swift motion, she pulled his chin towards her and pressed their lips together.

He froze up, because she'd just stolen his first ever kiss and he hadn't expected it at all—he hadn't expected anything like this to happen until the end of the date, if that!—and he realized he was being an idiot again and moved his lips softly with hers. The lip gloss she'd finally chosen to wear was watermelon-flavored.

She broke it off first, her blue-gray eyes hazy as she looked over his shoulder. "Suppose I should've let you get in the house first."

"I'm okay with this," he said, shooting her a silly grin.

Smiling lightly, she shook her head and then closed the front door. He guessed that Nanako-chan wasn't around and wondered if he should take his shoes off or if he should try for another kiss, but he hadn't brought her anything, damn maybe his mom was right and he should have brought flowers...

"It's just me, Yosuke-kun," she said, taking him out of his spiraling thoughts. "You can relax. I'm not going to bring Seiryu out to eat you or anything!"

"Wh-what about Genbu?" he asked, naming one of her other dragon-like Personas.

"Maybe Genbu," she said playfully. She sidled up next to him, took one of his hands and tugged until his arm was wrapped around her waist. "What's the plan for this evening?"

"Uh," he said smartly. He hadn't been expecting so much affection from her so soon; this was supposed to be their first date, after all!

He felt the warmth of her body pressed close to his. She tilted her head at him in question, so he moved in to kiss her, but accidentally hit her nose with his own. So he wasn't all that good at kissing yet, but he'd get there...! He tried again and this time their lips met. After a moment, he dared to run his tongue across her lips, but she pushed back with her own tongue, pressing it into his mouth.

He made a surprised sound and, after enjoying it for a moment, pulled away just a fraction. "I-I like you," he told her.

"So I've heard," she murmured against his mouth.

His face grew even warmer. He'd blurted out those same words just this morning at school, his lame lunchtime confession.

But apparently she hadn't thought it was lame. She'd smiled at him, just like she was doing now...

He wondered if they really needed to go out on a date, or if they could just stay here and keep kissing.

No, no... He'd made reservations at a nice restaurant and everything. He was going to treat her. She was going to have a great time. They were going to have a great time!

"Dinner," he said. "That's the plan."

* * *

They made their way to Okina City, firmly holding hands on the bus ride there and talking about nothing really important—their classes this morning, something silly Teddie had said, some weird shoes she'd bought for Chie from Tanaka's Amazing Commodities...

Because it was a Saturday evening, Okina was busy. Not that it was a happening place or anything, but it boasted the only movie theater in miles which led to a high population of bored teenagers hanging around the place. In fact, over half of the bus got off at this stop. Yosuke made sure his girlfriend—girlfriend! It made him giddy to think that he could call her that now—was with him when they exited the bus. They walked around the outdoor mall together since there was some time before the reservation at the restaurant.

They stopped in front of the square's fountain and settled into the bench there. She immediately scooted close to him. The warmth of her hand in his almost made him dizzy—he had a girlfriend, and it wasn't just any girlfriend, it was her, the girl who meant so much to him. He remembered how she'd saved him from those Hableries, and then his Shadow, how she relied on him in battle every time they were in the TV...

They sat together peacefully, just enjoying each other's company while they watched the people around them. When Ai Ebihara strode by, followed by not one but two guys laden with shopping bags, he couldn't resist a comment. "Glad you're not like that."

"I could be," the girl sitting so close to him teased. "I haven't made you go shopping with me yet."

""Yet'? Aww man..." He scratched the back of his head with his free hand and chuckled lightly; he knew she was joking.

They watched Ebihara go into a clothing store that was obviously overpriced. "Must be nice to have money like that," Yosuke said. "Her family's rich, did you know? Her dad's paying for all that."

"Isn't your family rather well off? A manager can't be making pennies."

"Maybe," he said. "I've never asked. I mean, how are you supposed to ask? 'Hey Pop, how much money have we made from putting everyone else out of business?'" He sighed. It wasn't something he could do anything about. He didn't like to think of his family as 'the bad guys' like so many people in Inaba seemed to. It was just how the modern era worked.

She squeezed his hand in support. "I don't know about my family, either," she murmured. "They don't even send me an allowance."

"Is that why you've got all those odd jobs?" he asked. "I don't get an allowance, either. Ever since we moved here, Pop stopped giving me one. He wants me to work for my money. It's not all bad, though, because when I finally get my hard-earned paycheck, then I can do things like treat my friends to lunch, or... or take you out to dinner."

He took both of her hands in his own and looked into her eyes. Her smile made him blush self-consciously. He helped her to her feet, then led her to the restaurant.

He had picked out a restaurant that was a little nicer than many of the others around, but not unapproachable. It boasted an extensive sushi bar that he was looking forward to. With his date at his side, he navigated through the throng of guests waiting in the foyer and to the greeting podium, where he told the well-dressed man standing behind it that he had a reservation. "Hanamura. For two."

The well-dressed man squinted down at a list behind the podium. "Hmm... Hanamura? I don't seem to have that name on here."

"Check again?" Yosuke suggested.

The man checked again, but again failed to find it. "I'm sorry, we don't have a reservation for that name," he said, looking up. "Are you quite sure you made one for tonight?"

"Uh, yeah. I called this afternoon." Yosuke shifted his weight, and his date took his arm, sensing his growing unease. He sent her an uncomfortable smile before turning back to the man behind the podium.

The well-dressed man hummed. He looked behind Yosuke, where a line was forming full of other guests requiring his attention. "I think Sato-kun was at the desk then..." the man muttered to himself, drumming his fingers against the podium. "One moment please." He stepped away to confer with another member of the staff.

Yosuke's heart fell as the picture became clear. He recognized the man he was speaking with: a classmate whose family went out of business due to Junes. Yosuke hadn't recognized his voice on the line this afternoon when he'd called the restaurant to make reservations, but it was obvious now. Holding a grudge, Sato-kun likely hadn't put in the reservation at all.

The man returned to the podium. He smoothed down his tie. "I'm terribly sorry, but all I can do is put your name on the waitlist. It's estimated that it will be around a 45 minute wait before a table for two is ready."

Forty-five minutes!? Keeping his anger and disappointment in check, Yosuke turned to his date.

"I want to speak to a manager," she told the well-dressed man.

"Err," said Yosuke, surprised at the authority in her tone. "N-no, it's all right. Come on, let's go." He tugged on her arm gently, ignoring her frown until they were outside of the restaurant.

"Why did you stop me?" she asked when he stopped walking. She looked quite unhappy with him.

"I didn't want to cause a scene," Yosuke explained, feeling super lame at justifying his retreat. "I mean, I get customers yelling at me all the time at Junes, so..." He ran his fingers through his too-flat hair, messing up his mom's delicate part work.

"You shouldn't let people walk over you like that, Yosuke-kun," she chided. "I've let it happen to me too often. People start taking advantage of you."

"I-I know," he muttered. "But it's not like complaining would make a table become available."

"Maybe if we complained for 45 minutes," she suggested with a wry smile.

He recognized it was a joke, but he didn't laugh at it. "I'm sorry," he said. "I really did make a reservation."

"I know," she said. She took his arm and leaned into him, the cold metal of her bracelet pressing against the skin of his arm. He found himself blushing at the contact. She didn't need to try and cheer him up like that, but he was glad that she did.

"W-well, do you want to try another place?" He sighed. "I'm sure they're all going to have long wait times. We could go for fast food, but I wanted a nice dinner."

"There's a cafe by the movie theater," she suggested. "It's nice, and I've never seen it very busy."

Yosuke wasn't much of a coffee drinker outside of the homebrew served to the part-timers in the breakroom at Junes, but it was better than any other plan he had at the moment. The Chagall Cafe had an inviting enough atmosphere, about the same as any other coffee shop he'd been to when he'd lived in the city. A chalkboard by the door advertised specials, and delicious-looking cakes were displayed behind glass at the counter.

The man behind the counter was wearing sunglasses even though it was evening and he was indoors. With his arms crossed, he looked rather intimidating, but she strode right up to the counter and Yosuke followed her.

He peered at the menu, wondering what he should get. There were a bunch of drinks with strange names, including something called a 'Pheromone Coffee.' He wondered what she'd think if he ordered that.

While he was still looking at the menu, she ordered the 'Owner's Original Blend.' After a search, Yosuke spied it on the menu board and nearly jumped. 5,000 yen for a coffee? That was an entire day's pay! For that, they could both go to a movie and buy the mega snack pack there.

He was still reeling when she was taking out her purse to pay. "N-no," he protested, pulling out his own wallet. "I'll get it!" Expensive or not, he was determined to treat her.

She turned her head and narrowed her eyes at him. The corner of her mouth turned up in amusement as she dropped the bills that she had pulled out onto the counter. The cashier took them, counted them out, and then handed her a receipt and told her that her drink would be out in just a few minutes.

Crap, Yosuke thought. Did she not want him paying for her? They should've talked about this beforehand. He'd totally messed up...

Her hand found his and squeezed it. "You can buy the snacks, Yosuke-kun," she said, perhaps sensing his dilemma.

He smiled at her, somewhat uneasily. "A-all right... What do you want?"

"Anything. We'll share." She let go of his hand. "I'll find a seat."

He ended up ordering a lemon cake and chai tea for himself. Even with the cake, his order came out to less than 2,000 yen. He tried not to think about it.

He found her at a table for two. Her side of the table was part of a booth that provided seating to two other tables as well. He took the seat across from her in an oversized blue-green armchair. It was rather comfortable. His only complaint was that the table between them was too large for them to hold hands across it, and the tablecloth hanging over the edge discouraged keeping hands under it.

She smiled at him, and he smiled back, and the moment dragged on until he realized he should probably make some small talk. A first date was about getting to know each other, right? "So, uh, do you come here often?" he asked.

Ugh, could he have asked a lamer question...? _Hanamura, at this rate, you're not getting a second date,_ he thought to himself with an inward sigh. He crossed his arms in his seat, exasperated with himself, because if he wasn't having a good time, there was no way she was.

"Only when I'm in Okina," she reported. "And when I have free time."

"Not often, then," he said, nodding to himself. "You're always busy doing one thing or another."

"It keeps me out of trouble." Her eyes were half-lidded and her smile was playful.

Hmm, maybe he was wrong and she actually was having a good time. "You sure about that? I think it's more about you looking for trouble," he teased. There were quite a few stories going around about her—how she'd scared off some boys who were bullying Chie, and how she'd defended Kanji in some altercation with the police. Man, he needed to get the full stories from her sometime.

"Maybe~"

"Or maybe trouble just finds you," he mused. "We still don't know why you didn't have a Shadow, and why you have more than one Persona. I mean, there has to be a reason."

"I'm sure we'll find out eventually," she murmured. "Why, are you getting bored with just Jiraiya?"

He thought about it. It'd be nice if he could use a Persona strong against electricity. He hated getting taken out of a fight so easily at times. Why, just the other day—

"It's not that great having more than one," she continued, lowering her gaze to the table. "Sometimes it feels like my head is going to explode. Speaking of, I probably shouldn't have ordered the original blend..."

"And speaking of that coffee..."

The store owner was heading towards their table, carrying a tray. He set down the lemon cake first, and then Yosuke's chai tea. The man raised a bushy eyebrow questioningly when he set down the Owner's Original Blend in front of the girl who'd ordered it. She thanked him for the drink and he grunted before heading back to the service counter.

What's that guy's problem? Yosuke wondered. He dipped a finger in his tea, making sure it wasn't too hot to drink. The scent of cinnamon wafted from it. He took a sip and it tasted like milky pumpkin spice. It was way better than the Dokudami tea available at the Shiroku Store.

"This is great," he remarked. "How's yours?"

She didn't answer. He looked up from his drink and saw her listlessly stirring the coffee with a metal spoon.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I shouldn't have ordered this," she muttered.

"Huh? It's no good?" For the price, he thought, it should be some mind-blowing experience.

"It's a bit strong," she said. He spied a faint blush on her cheeks. She was embarrassed about this for some reason. It was cute.

"I could go to the counter ask for some more cream or sugar," he offered. "Would that help?"

She shook her head.

"Well... I don't mind switching drinks, if you'd rather have my tea. It's a bit spicy, but in a good way."

She blinked at him in surprise at his offer. "I do wonder what would happen if you drank this," she mused, staring down at the cup. She seemed to be thinking. Then she looked up at him. "Yosuke-kun, sit over here." She patted the place next to her in the booth seat.

"Uh, that side's supposed to be for one," he said. "If I sit there, then no one can use the table next to us."

"Yosuke-kun," she repeated in a reproachful voice that said, 'You're no fun.'

He glanced around the cafe and realized he was being an idiot again. There were plenty of other open seats, and of course he wanted to sit next to her! He moved his drink over to her side of the table and then joined her in the booth seat.

Soon she took his arm and wrapped it around her back, and then she was resting her head on his shoulder.

Wow, this was nice! He tried not to blush at her closeness, but he couldn't really help it.

"I'm sorry, Yosuke-kun," she said with a sigh.

"Huh? What for?"

She sat up and drank down her coffee all at once, emitting a small whine when she put the empty cup back on the table. Then her body sort of twitched and she fell heavily onto him.

"Hey!" he said while trying to push her body back upright. He called her name a few times, but she was completely unconscious. He gently shook her, to no response.

"She always succumbs," a gruff voice remarked. Yosuke glanced up and the store owner was standing by the table. "She hasn't yet matured enough to persevere against my sublime invention. Are you worried? She'll be back eventually."

"Uh... thanks?" Yosuke said, but the man had already walked away.

What sort of coffee knocked people out like that? Wait, this has happened to her before? Yosuke looked down at her dozing face. It took him another moment to understand that she'd known this was going to happen. Was that why she'd asked him to sit with her? She trusted him enough to watch over her while she was passed out... He wasn't sure what to make of that.

He tried to settle her into a more comfortable position, and he ended up cradling her head against his chest. He brushed a few stray wisps of her long hair out of her face. Her hair was soft like feather down, and he felt a little unclean for touching it in this situation, so he stopped.

Her breath was beginning to warm a patch of his dress shirt; it was making him very uncomfortable. He nibbled his lip and glanced around the cafe. There was an old couple in the corner giving him funny looks, but that was people over a certain age, really. It wasn't like he was kissing her in public!

"Wake up, princess," he murmured.

A few minutes later and she was still out. His stomach began to growl. He hadn't eaten much at lunch—he hadn't an appetite after his confession—and with no dinner... He awkwardly reached over the table, grabbed some of the lemon cake, and ate it.

Finally he felt her weight shift. He tilted his head down to find her blinking up at him. "Yosuke-kun...?" Her eyes unfocused as she tried to recall where she was.

"You had some wicked coffee and passed out," he explained. "Are you all right?"

"I got a new skill card," she reported. She smiled, but her expression was sad. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had that coffee."

"Don't be sorry," he said. "You're free to order whatever you want."

Now her smile became genuine. "Thanks for watching over me."

"It's all—" he began, but then his stomach growled again. She could probably feel the rumble since she was still resting against his chest. How embarrassing! "Lemon cake only goes so far," he feebly joked. "I wonder if my mom has any leftovers."

"Leftovers?"

"Oh, she was going to make kakuni, but then I told her I wasn't going to be home for dinner. She usually cooks a lot of food. She's trying to fatten me up, or something."

"You are a little thin," she said. Her nails picked at his dress shirt, teasing him.

With a soft sigh, she sat up so that she was no longer leaning her weight on him. He was somewhat disappointed that she'd moved, but he had been starting to lose feeling in one of his legs.

"Let's get you home, I guess," he said. He began to scoot out of the booth, but her hand lightly grasped his arm, and despite the fact that she employed no force, he stopped in mid-rise as if cuffed. "Huh?"

"Kakuni sounds good," she said.

He stared at her. "...Huh?"

"Maybe... call your mom and ask if she made extra."

He shook his head and pulled out of her grasp to hold up his hands defensively. "C-come on, you don't wanna meet my mom! I mean, it's my mom!"

"We're both hungry," she said, raising her chin. "I'm not afraid to meet her."

She was staring him down like it was a challenge. A challenge that he totally lost. He brought out his phone and went outside to make the call.

"Sweetie?" his mom said. "I didn't expect you'd call. Did everything go well?"

"Err," he said. "I guess...?"

"I'm so sorry, sweetie!" she said in response to his hesitation, assuming the worst for some reason. "When you come home I'll have some cookies ready, okay?"

He rolled his eyes although no one was around to see the action. "Mom! It's okay. Umm, see, we didn't have dinner, so..."

* * *

Yosuke almost wondered if the heat present on his face was permanent. He toyed with his kakuni with his chopsticks, violating various etiquette rules, because he was just too embarrassed to listen to his mom and his girlfriend talk.

"Thank you for allowing us to come over, Hanamura-san," his date said politely.

"Think nothing of it!" his mom replied. The woman waited several beats, and then asked, "So how long have you known Yo-chan?"

"Mooooom," Yosuke moaned, burying his face in his hands, both for the use of that nickname and for starting up what was most certainly going to be an interrogation.

But the Investigation Team leader was taking it all in stride. An amused smile decorated her features. "Since the term started. He sits behind me."

"And I suppose he poked your back with a pen every day until he got your attention."

"Mom..." Yosuke protested again.

"He had an Incident in middle school like that," his mom confided in a whisper, leaning forward over the table and hiding her mouth with a hand conspiratorially, as if that would stop him from overhearing. The capital 'I' in 'incident' was unmistakable.

He would have left the table right then, but he couldn't very well abandon his girlfriend like that...

"He hasn't been that bad," she said, "but I do have to whisper him the answers in class sometimes."

His mom reached over, put a hand on his shoulder, and shook him. "You need to be better than that!"

His answer was a groan.

"But I like Yosuke-kun," the dark-haired girl said. "He's reliable. He always has my back. He's maybe a little overprotective sometimes, but I don't see that as a fault."

She was talking about his behavior in the TV more than anything else. He did tend to get inordinately worried whenever she got hit by a Shadow's attack. In his defense, he worried about Chie and Yukiko, too, but it was different with her. He told himself that it was because she was the leader and therefore the most important, but... really, he'd held a flame for her for quite a while now. He wasn't even sure when it had started.

"Well, I'm glad," his mom said, giving him a significant look that said, 'I don't know what you're doing, but keep up the good work!' "Are you from Inaba? I'm sure you know that we aren't."

"I'm not," she replied. "I'm not actually 'from anywhere,' really. My family moves a lot. In fact, that's the reason I'm here. My parents are overseas, so I'm staying with my uncle and cousin, and I'll be leaving at the end of the school year."

"Oh, so you're only here for the year," his mom murmured. Now she was giving Yosuke a different look, one that he purposely avoided by forcing down some pork.

"I like it here," she volunteered. "Everyone's been kind to me. I haven't had any trouble fitting in."

"I'm glad," his mom said, smiling kindly. She turned to Yosuke suddenly. "Yo-chan! Why aren't you eating? Isn't he way too skinny? He never eats even half of what I serve him!"

"Because you try to feed me enough for three people!" he protested. "I mean, look at this." He pushed his pork-laden plate forward. "There's no way I could eat all this!"

The dark-haired girl began to laugh. He began to glare at her, annoyed, but... seeing her here, having a good time... His expression morphed into something else instead.

When he noticed his mom tilting her head and raising an eyebrow at him, he blushed and began to eat his food just to avoid catching her eyes.

Since it was rather late at night by the end of the meal, Yosuke offered to walk his date home, and she accepted. He was glad—he really needed a break from his mom. In fact, his mom was still giving him an embarrassingly knowing look even as he left the house.

They weren't all that far down the street he lived on when he began to apologize. "I'm sorry about that. My mom's nosy. She's always like this. Always asking about my friends and stuff..."

"What's your dad like?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Err... Typical Japanese dad, really. Married to his job. It's why you didn't meet him. He's probably working late at Junes."

"Ah," she said. "I think I understand. But don't worry about your mom. She seems nice. I'm glad to have met her."

Yosuke didn't answer. He wondered what his dad would think of his girlfriend. He might not care either way. Maybe he'd ask if she wanted to work at Junes. Yeah, that sounded like him.

They walked together, and before he knew it, they were turning into the street she lived on. She slowed down her pace, apparently reluctant to go home. "Yosuke-kun...?"

"Huh?"

She grabbed his hand and held it as she walked forward. "Thanks for taking me out."

"It wasn't much of a date," he muttered. "I wish things had gone a little better."

"Things could have gone a lot worse," she pointed out. "It could have rained. You could have lost your wallet. We could have run into one of our friends who didn't realize that we're on a date." She paused. "Besides..."

"Besides what?" he prompted when she hesitated to continue.

She stopped walking, and linked by her hand, he stopped walking, too. She moved in close to him, a dusting of pink coloring her cheeks. "Besides," she repeated, "I like you, too."

His stomach felt like it did a flip. He leaned forward, and slowly, very slowly, their lips met in a kiss. It was soft and sweet and it took a car going by to make them pull apart and continue on their way.

They reached the Dojima residence and lingered on the doorstop. "I had a good time," she told him.

"You don't have to lie," he said. His tone was teasing, but there was a trace of bitterness in there since he was still upset over everything.

"No, I did," she insisted. "But next time, I'll make the reservations. And I won't order that coffee. And you'll meet my mother instead, and... I'm kidding about that last one."

"I was gonna say!" He laughed. He held up her hand in both of his. "U-umm, well, I guess I should say goodnight. I really—"

He shut up because she was hugging him now, and looking up at him, and... His face felt like it was burning, and his heart pounded in his chest. He wondered if she could hear it. Heck, she was so close, she could probably feel it.

I might more than like you, he thought.

The front door opened, and they turned their heads as one to face it.

"Big sis...?" Nanako-chan was peeking out at them.

Yosuke whispered, "I'll call you."

She nodded before pulling away from him to turn her attention to her little cousin. "Nanako, I'm home. Let's go inside."

He waved at the little girl before the door closed, leaving him alone on the doorstop. He could still hear the six-year-old excitedly asking her 'big sis' about her date until they moved away from the door. He chuckled to himself, because it was the same interrogation that he'd endure from his mom when he got home.

...Which he should be doing about now. With a soft sigh, he began to head on his way, the faint taste of watermelon on his lips telling him that he really couldn't complain about how it went, all things considered.


End file.
